Cigar Brands

There are many brands that produce cigars, whether they are rolled in Cuba, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic or any other country. When choosing cigars
there is a lot of choice and each brand has it's own characteristics and history so it can get a bit confusing. The aim of these brand pages is to help you
get a better understanding of which cigar brand is best for you. Variety is the spice of life so read up on the cigars and try as many as you can!

Bolivar: The Bolivar brand of cigars is one of the most famous brands of Cuban cigars,
first introduced in 1901 by Jose F. Rocha but wasn’t actually registered in Havana until 1921.
The name comes from the famous South-American revolutionary, Simon Bolivar, who liberated countries such as Venezuela, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia.
After Rocha’s death, the company was taken over by Cifuentes y Cia and production was moved to the Partagas Factory in Havana.To see our full range of Bolivar click here

Cohiba: The Cuban Cohiba brand of cigars,
established in 1968, is regarded as one of the best cigar brands in the
world producing some of the highest quality cigars from the highest
quality tobacco. The name ‘Cohiba’ comes from the Taino (pre-Columbian
inhabitants of the Bahamas) word meaning tobacco and true to the word
the cigars are just tobacco. The Tobacco used in Cohiba cigars is from
the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba which has gone through an extra
fermentation process unique to Cohiba which gives them that smooth and
distinctive taste.To see our full range of Cohiba click here

Cuaba: Cuaba cigars - Medium to full flavour - Just like the cigars which first made Havanas world famous at the end of the 19th century.
Cuabas are figurados or 'shaped' cigars - bulbous in the middle and pointed at both ends.
This unusual shape leads to a remarkable first few puffs which consist entirely of the flavour of the wrapper leaf.
Once into the main blend the style is medium to full bodied.To see our full range of Cuaba click here

Cuban Minis: Cuban Minis are the miniature
version of the classic hand rolled cigar brands that you know and of
course love. Sometimes there is not enough time to sit and properly
enjoy a nice Havana cigar, you don't want to be smoking it too quickly
and then crushing it to death in an ashtray! That is why we have the
Cuban mini, for when a quick whiff is all you want.To see our full range of Cuban Minis click here

Diplomaticos: This brand was introduced in 1966 as essentially a second value line of the Montecristo brand,
primarily aimed at the French market. One of the few Havana brands which is exclusively devoted to handmade cigars,
the sizes and names essentially mirror the Montecristo nomenclature and the Diplimaticos line is produced at the Jose Marti factory,
as is most of the Montecristo range. They are generally considered to be medium to full bodied.To see our full range of Diplomaticos click here

Fonseca: The image of Francisco Fonseca, who developed this brand in 1906,
still adorns the box today. Only in limited distribution, the Fonseca brand is considered to exhibit a rich but mild flavour. To see our full range of Fonseca click here

El Rey Del Mundo: The Cuban cigar brand of El
Rey Del Mundo was believed to be first created in 1848 by German
businessman Emilio Ohmstedt who also created Sanch Panza cigars. After
Ohmstedt’s death the Cuban cigar company was passed on to Antonio
Allones sometime around 1882. El Rey Del Mundo, or ‘King of the World’
in Spanish, was at one time the most expensive and prestigious cigar
brand in the world. Under Allones’ command it reached the height of its
prestige.To see our full range of El Rey Del Mundo click here

Guantanamera: Guantanamera cigars are a
relatively new cigar having been created and released in 2002, this
cigar is now one of our most popular budget priced Cuban cigars. The
brand was named after perhaps Cubas' most well known song "Guajira
Guantanamera" (Spanish for peasant girl from Guantánamo") by Joseito
Fernández.which can be heard in just about every bar in Cuba every
evening!To see our full range of Guantanamera click here

H. Upmann: H. Upmann is the brand name of a premium cigar
manufacturer. H. Upmann produce cigars in two regions, one being the
island of Cuba where Habanos SA monopolise the tobacco industry (the
Cuban state owned tobacco company) and the other region being La Romana
in the Dominican Republic produced for the Franco-Spanish tobacco
monopoly, Altadis SA, who are part of the Imperial Tobacco group.To see our full range of H. Upmann click here

Hoyo De Monterrey: Don Jose Gener emigrated to
Cuba from Spain at the age of thirteen where he worked on his uncles
plantation in Vuelta Abajo. 20 years later in 1865, after opening a
successful factory in Havana, he purchased one of the best tobacco farms
in Vuelta Abajo and registered his new cigar brand, Hoyo de Monterey.
The word Hoyo literally means ‘hole’ and refers directly to the
low-lying position of the plantation on the fertile banks of San Juan y
Martinez River.To see our full range of Hoyo de Monterrey click here

Jose L. Piedra: Jose L. Piedra cigars came to light in a Cuba that
hadn't met the revolution yet. In 1880 Vicente and Jose Lamadrid Piedra
created Jose L. Piedra as a commercial brand and, apart from a brief 6
year break in 1990, they are still creating some of the most popular
Cuban cigars in the market.To see our full range of Jose L Piedra click here

Juan Lopez: One of the few Havana brands which is offered only in handmade styles, started in 1876 by Juan Lopez Diaz.
The range of sizes is limited, but the workmanship is first-rate and the flavour is considered to be medium to strong, with light and almost aromatic overtones.
A sampling of this cigar may develop into a long term love for it. To see our full range of Juan Lopez click here

Montecristo: The brand of Montecristo is the single most popular
brand of Havana cigars with the benchmark petit corona (or mareva)
Montecristo no.4 being the best selling Havana cigar in the world.
Additions to the range in recent years include the hugely popular
Edmundo and Petit Edmundo. The highly rated limited editions:
Montecristo D, Sublimes and Grand Edmundo have kept this brand
exceptionally successful.To see our full range of Montecristo click here

Partagas: Established in Havana in the year 1845, Partagás is one
of the oldest cigar brands. In 1845 Don Jaime Partagás y Ravelo set up
his own factory, Real Fábricas de Tobaco Partagás, after his long term
employment in the Cuban tobacco business. The factory is located at 60
Industria Street, Havana.To see our full range of Partagas click here

Por Larranaga: Two cigar brands form to make up Por Larranaga, one
being Cuban grown for Habanos SA and the other produced in the Dominican
Republic and Honduras for Imperial Tobacco’s Altadis division.To see our full range of Por Larranaga click here

Punch: Punch - Medium flavour - Don Manuel Lopez of J. Valle & Co founded Punch in the 1840s,
with the British market in mind where the humorous magazine of the same name was much in vogue. A contended Mr Punch, cigar in hand,
remains a feature on the labels of each box of these long-appreciated medium strength cigars.To see our full range of Punch click here

Quai D'Orsay: The Quai D'Orsay cigar brand was created in 1973 mainly
to appeal to the growing French market. The French market was more open
to the milder taste with a lighter wrapper hence why the Quai D'Orsay
introduced there Corona cigars with a lighter shaded Claro Claro
wrapper. As this fashion died out in the late 1980's so did the Corona
Claro Claro, it was replaced by the Corona Claro; a 5 5/8" cigar with a
42 ring gauge (143 x 16.67 mm).To see our full range of Quai D'Orsay click here

Quintero:
Quintero started off in the tobacco industry, which all began in a small factory (chinchal) a south east city of Cienfuegos.
The Las Villas province of Cuba during the 1920's. In 1940, their reputation had enabled them to move to La Havana,
where they had introduce this blend manufactured exclusively with using Vuelta Abajo leaf tobacco.
They created a full-flavored brand that continues to this day, predominantly in hand-finished and all machine-made sizes.
To see our full range of Quintero click here

Rafael Gonzales: Rafael Gonzales is a current
pre-revolution cigar brand that first came to light under the name of La
Flor de Marquez. The brand was established circa 1928 but the trademark
wasn’t registered until 1936. Rafael Gonzales cigars are made in the
famous Romeo y Julieta factory, the brand was first developed with the
British market in mind using a light tasting blend of tobacco leaves
from the Vuelta Abajo region. All sizes are made ‘totalmente a mano,
tripa larga’ – Totally by hand, long filler except one which is
‘totalmente a mano, tripa corta’ – totally by hand, short filler.To see our full range of Rafael Gonzales click here

Ramon Allones: Ramon Allones - Full flavour - In 1837 Ramon Allones, a recent immigrant from Galicia in Spain, founded his brand.
He set his mark on the Havana trade by originating the use of colourful lithographs to decorate his boxes, an innovation soon copied by his competitors.
Over a century and a half later the robust blend of tobacco preferred by its founder is faithfully maintained.To see our full range of Ramon Allones click here

Romeo y Julieta: Romeo y Julieta is probably the most well-known brand
of Cuban cigars having been established for over 130 years. The brand
was first established in 1875 by Inocencio Alvarez and Mannin Garcia who
took the name from Shakespeare's classic tragedy of the same name, Romeo
and Juliette. The Romeo y Julieta logo displays a number of gold medals
on it, these were awarded to the brand over the years of production.To see our full range of Romeo y Julieta click here

Saint Luis Rey: Created in the 1940's by English cigar importers and named after the successful American film 'Bridge of San Luis Rey".
The production of these finest Cuban cigars from Saint Luis Rey produces approximately 60,000 cigars each year.
These are certainly considered one of the the best Havanas that are available on the market.
What makes the cigars of the brand remarkable consists of their dark, oily yet smooth wrappers.
Full bodied and certainly a rich refined flavour, aroma and experience. A heavyweight medium to full flavour, high quality brand with a very limited production. To see our full range of Saint Luis Rey click here

San Cristobal: San Cristóbal is a current post-Revolution brand, launched in late 1999.The full brand name is San Cristóbal de la Habana, named after the original name for Havana and in honour of Christopher Columbus.

The range comprises light to medium-strength cigars, using tobacco from the premium Vuelta Abajo region.

The original 1999 release cigars were named after forts that protected old Havana in the Spanish Colonial days.Special Releases commenced in 2004 with the release of the 5th Anniversary Humidor. Each of these cigars was named after an ancient street in old Havana.
To see our full range of San Cristobal click here

Sancho Panza: Sancho Panza - Medium flavour - First registered in 1848, Sancho Panza became part of the Rey del Mundo cigar company portfolio by the end of the nineteenth century.
A portrait of Don Quixote's mischievous manservant adorns each box of these mellow tasting Habanos, which are now made under the supervision of the Romeo y Julieta factory. To see our full range of Sancho Panza click here

Trinidad: Trinidad cigars - Medium flavour - Once Havana's mystery brand.
Reserved as Cuban government gifts from 1969 to 1998 when just one size - the Fundadores.
Until recently It was eventually introduced to the public. Made at Cohiba's exclusive El Laguito factory, this rare cigar offers an approachable, well rounded, medium flavour with a distinct hint of richness. To see our full range of Trinidad click here

Vegas Robaina: Vegas Robaina cigars - Medium to full flavour. The Robaina family have farmed tobacco on their Vuelta Abajo vegas since 1845.
This brand was introduced in 1997, is a tribute to the legendary skills of the present patriarch Alejandro Robaina.
The cigars are made by the H. Upmann factory using wrappers grown exclusively on the Robaina properties. To see our full range of Vegas Robaina click here